A Sneak Peek into National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Image: Aloysius Patrimonio
With National Cyber Security Awareness Month just around the corner, public and private sectors have already begun offering sneak peaks into what will transpire in October to educate citizens on safe and secure Internet use.
NCSA, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, has sponsored National Cyber Security Awareness Month every October since its launch in 2003.
This year, the event will kick off with three major events on the West and East Coasts. On Oct. 4, NCSA will hold the National Cyber Security Awareness Month Launch Event at the Seattle Public Library in Seattle, Wash., from noon to 3 p.m EST. Howard A. Schmidt, White House cybersecurity coordinator, and Jane Holl Lute, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, will deliver keynote speeches at the event. Along with several partners and senior government officials, NCSA will launch a new public-education and awareness campaign created by government and industry.
Also as part of the launch event Oct. 4, TechAmerica and NCSA will kick off National Cyber Security Awareness Month from the East Coast from noon to 2 p.m. EST, hosted by Lockheed Martin in Arlington, Va. Speakers will include Charles Croom, vice president of cybersecurity solutions, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions, and Phil Bond, president and CEO of TechAmerica. The Seattle and Arlington events will each be simulcast, allowing participants to attend the events virtually.
In addition, NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group will hold an all-day event Oct. 6 at Intel corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. Panels will discuss details of the campaign, the research that was conducted, and how to implement a message to make citizens safer and more secure online and create a culture of cyber awareness.
Companies, organizations, libraries and universities also have major events and initiatives planned, including:
- Lockheed Martin and the Tech Council of Maryland will host high-school students for a Cyber Security Awareness Day at the NexGen Cyber Innovation and Technology Center in Maryland to teach them about safe cybersecurity practices.
- EMC and its RSA Security Division will send hundreds of volunteers out to K-12 schools and youth-based programs in 22 states and six countries to educate youth about online safety practices and behaviors. Leading sessions throughout October, the volunteers will use NCSA’s Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education curriculum.
“Cybersecurity is our shared responsibility, and last year we reached millions of Americans with that important message and this year hope to reach even more,” said NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser. “We applaud those organizations that have already taken the initiative to participate in the National Cyber Security Awareness Month and encourage others to visit our website for other ways they can help make our online community safer and more secure.”
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